CFO Intelligence Magazine – Fall 2025
Claude Draillard
AvionGarde LLC Founder
For decades, the civil aviation industry has been a large contributor to GDP ($1.3 trillion, or about 2% in 2022),
to employment (2.3 million direct jobs as of 12/2022) and a positive contributor to the US trade balance (over $100 billion in 2022). But the current yo-yo of tariffs could choke this vital industry. Consider what is happening: Tariffs on, tariffs off, then back on again with or without exemption. The current international trade environment is not for the faint of heart.
We have all read in the press about how international the aviation supply chain is. What does that mean? Let’s look at just a few key components of a Boeing 777:
1. Assembled just outside of Seattle, WA
2. Designed and engineered with CATIA, a 3D software from Dassault Systèmes, a French company
3. Cargo doors and mid-fuselage come from Kawasaki in Japan
4. Tail section and most of the aft panels are from Mitsubishi in Japan